In a perfect world, crowded demonstrations would have been staged in the coastal Syrian cities to condemn the massacres committed by the sectarian gangs loyal to the regime in the village of Bayda and the city of Banyas. But we do not live in such a world and the majority of the Alawites remained silent. They turned their eyes away from corpses of children piled up inside the homes in both devastated towns, and watched the videos that were posted on social websites, in which the criminals went over their victories and their inspired plans. True, the majority of the Alawites neither cheered nor welcomed these developments. But what is also true is that they did not protest against or condemn them. And neutrality – on the political and moral levels – in the face of such events carries numerous meanings. Unfortunately, the Alawites who support the revolution are few, and they were renounced by their own since day one and paid a hefty price for their noble position. The Alawite silence leads us to the complex sectarian relations in Syria. It leads us to a reality which was always buried underneath the slogans of pan-Arabism, the central cause, rejectionism and resistance. But with each massacre in a Syrian town, this reality is exposed: the sectarian issue is real and can no longer be disregarded or ignored. And whether it was invented by Al-Assad's regime or enhanced and exaggerated by legitimate fears based on a wounded memory, people are still paying with their lives the price of sectarian hatred. On the other hand, some are sitting on the fence and watching the massacres and the mass murders, while awaiting the final outcome on which to base their personal and collective calculations in accordance with the results of the sectarian-ethnic cleansing. Put aside all the maneuvering and euphemisms. Put aside wishful thinking. But especially put aside the futilities of the rejectionist media outlets in regard to the cosmic war, the shortcomings of the weak, and the fact that the response to the last Israeli attacks on Syria is bound to come. The simple truth is that the future is drawn up by the knives of the sectarian murderers, rather than by the articles and statements of the writers, journalists and analysts of the satellite channels and newspapers that are covering up the massacres, ignoring them and subsequently participating in their perpetration. Hence, those remaining silent vis-à-vis the killing of the children of Al-Bayda and Banyas, and before that the children of Darya, Jdaidet al-Fadl and Houla among dozens of other massacres, should expect a response rising to the level of their action. This is not a prediction or fortunetelling. It is a reading into the recent history of our region, and whoever led the sectarian beast out of its bottle under the pretext of defending holy sites among other unfounded justifications, should bear the dire consequences of their rowdy behavior. More importantly, they have booked their position in the upcoming settlement as a demographic minority and not a political component, thus contributing – whether intentionally or unintentionally – in rendering the political solution that is currently sought a sectarian one the Lebanese or Iraqi way, based on calculations related to numbers, sizes and closed zones. Today, the world might not have a problem with watching the Syrian dead as long as they belong to the majority. And it is likely that the sensitivities that move this world – such as terrorism and the attacks against minorities – do not push towards the rescuing of threatened children in other Syrian villages. It is also likely that we will soon see images similar to those coming from the villages of Banyas, ones that have hurt our sight and hearts, as long as the political calculations are not yet ripe, as long as the Russians, Iranians and Americans have not yet received the guarantees and reassurances which serve their interests, and as long as those claiming to support the revolution and to be the friends of the Syrian people are upholding their impotence and sterile calculations. The Alawite silence will contribute to drawing up the Syrian future, but not in favor of the civil democratic state. It is that simple.
